Israel Using Rape For Interrogation
Instances of IDF sexual abuse and their attempts to cover it up
Israel Using Rape For Interrogation
Instances of IDF sexual abuse and their attempts to cover it up
I have seen many pro-Zionists citing instances of Hamas raping Israelis during the Oct 7th attack, and using this as justification for their massacring of tens of thousands of civilians to somehow collectively pay back all of Gaza for the sins of those attackers. They seem to ignore the fact that the IDF has a long history of sexual abuses against women and children they’ve detained, even using rape and photos of that rape as blackmail against women that were victims of their guards.
Mind you Palestinians don’t have the same rights as Israeli citizens, and can be detained for indefinite periods without any formal charges. Some teens have faced 20 years just for throwing rocks at tanks, these were likely the lucky ones for not just being shot on-sight for such a “heinous act”.
This article aims to highlight significant reported cases and allegations to provide an overview, but keep in mind that these were cases that managed to get international attention, and not be covered up internally. So are almost certainly just the tip of the iceberg.
2017 Conviction of an IDF Officer
In 2017, an IDF officer was convicted of multiple sexual offenses, including the rape of a Palestinian woman. The officer, part of the Civil Administration, used his position to exploit Palestinian women, often in exchange for permits or other favors. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison but later readmitted into the IDF as a private after appealing his removal from the military.
This was one of the harshest punishments on record, and even in this instance, the perpetrator was readmitted to the IDF, to likely do similar again. I also suspect it was his putting “national security” at risk that was the main causative factor around his punishment, although we don’t have all the details since they are “confidential”.
The court documents detail how he exploited his position issuing permits for Palestinians to enter and work in Israel, often exchanging permits for sexual favors, and threatening to take away permits if his victims told anyone about the assaults.
Keep in mind that Palestinians require these permits to be able to move about Israel to work, functioning as a source of cheap labor for Israelis. So, many would be extremely desperate for these permits and also could face violence including murder for refusing any advances.
He was also convicted of sharing intelligence gathered by Shin Bet — Israel’s domestic security agency — with two Palestinian women.
Ynet
I4news.tv
What complicates this even further for the victims, is that rape is seen as immoral even for the victims. This comes from the “Old Law” of the Bible, which the Quran has as well, a term called “zina” or “immorality”, which in stricter sects of Islam is seen as a crime. The Israelis know this since their holy book says similar, but secular Israelis don’t pay it any mind. They use photographs of the victims as blackmail to keep control of them and use them as spies if possible.
“Israeli investigators and intelligence officers keep video tapes of the raping to blackmail the female detainees,”
cair.com
Abuse Against Palestinian Children
Reports from human rights organizations like Defense for Children International — Palestine (DCIP) suggest that Palestinian children in detention have faced various forms of abuse, including sexual assault. A notable case involved a 15-year-old boy in 2009, who reported severe mistreatment and sexual abuse during his arrest and interrogation.
“There are no words to describe that moment,” the detainee said in the report.
The DCIP reported that the detainee had been raped with an object by his interrogator and that he was made to stand against a wall where his interrogator inflicted severe pain on his genitals.
CNN’s report “featured an unidentified Palestinian boy claiming that IDF forces attempted to insert an object into his rectum,” and that dozens of officers present stood around laughing while it happened.
The network cited Defence of Children International (DCI) as its source, an independent NGO (non-government organization) involved in promoting and protecting children’s rights globally for over 30 years, founded on the date the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) passed 10 years later.
DCI-Palestine expressed alarm about sworn affidavits children provided, explaining instances of sexual assault or threatened assault to obtain confessions. In 2009 alone, DCI reviewed 100 sworn affidavits attesting to the following:
palestinechronicle.com
Shutting Down of DCIP for Reporting Rape
Here we see that when actual crimes are reported, Israel is quick to try to cover them up yet again.
In 2021, DCIP reported the rape of a 15-year-old Palestinian boy at the Al-Mascobiyya detention center in West Jerusalem. This incident led to the Israeli authorities shutting down the NGO and declaring it a terrorist entity. The report detailed the assault, including rape with an object and physical abuse by an interrogator.
“We used to submit complaints [to the Israeli authorities],” Eqtaish told MEE. “but they would not open investigations…or they would open investigations and close them under the pretext that there was no cooperation from the child or lawyer.”
raided twice by Israeli forces18 August 2022 other Palestinian NGOscondemnedmiddleeasteye.net
Allegation Against an IDF Colonel
In a controversial case, an IDF colonel identified as Yariv Ben Ezra was accused of ordering a search of a female suspect’s body without proper justification.
This order reportedly came from a Shin Bet officer and involved searching the detainee’s vagina and anus. The colonel did not question the order or consult with his commanders or legal advisors.
The Justice Ministry initially refused to investigate the incident. However, due to the insistence of a senior female prosecutor and the potential for the case to be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC), an investigation was eventually conducted. The investigation could not conclusively prove who ordered the rape of the victim, and the case was closed without any charges
The IDF Colonel, Yariv Ben Ezra, and other individuals involved in the incident faced no formal charges or disciplinary actions as the case was closed.
These are a few of the cases that have come to light, given how authoritarian the rule is over the Palestinians, and how much Israel likes to cover their tracks it’s surprising even these cases saw the light of day. These cases also highlight how there is no justice for Palestinians under occupation rule, and why the current circumstances have reached a boiling point.
